Choose savoury snacks if you’re looking for a traditional selection of savoury bites to serve with drinks. Kano biscuits and digestives are sweet biscuits, so they’re better suited to a separate sweet treat with coffee or tea than as a replacement for bitterballen. Before you buy, work out how many portions you want to serve and always check the current packaging if anyone has an allergy.
You’re looking for snacks that fit in with a classic selection of savoury bites. Albert Heijn, for example, groups its snacks for drinks into hot and cold savoury options; a sweet biscuit has a different role to play.
You want to offer a separate biscuit break with coffee or tea alongside the savoury snacks. You can then compare kano biscuits and digestives by filling, pack size and portions.
You have a specific requirement for what you serve. The standard digestives reviewed contain wheat and gluten; even with a product specifically labelled gluten-free, check the packaging for other allergens.
Choose these if: your guests are expecting a traditional selection of savoury bites.
Bear in mind: hot snacks need to be prepared and served at a planned time; cold snacks don’t in the same way.
Choose these if: you specifically want to offer a filled sweet biscuit separately from the savoury snacks.
Bear in mind: the butter kano biscuits reviewed come in different portion sizes and aren’t savoury snacks.
Choose these if: you’d rather serve individual biscuits with coffee or tea.
Bear in mind: the standard varieties reviewed contain wheat and gluten; even with a gluten-free variety, you’ll still need to check for other allergens.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who does this matter to? |
|---|---|---|
| Savoury flavour | Choose hot or cold snacks for drinks if you’re after savoury options; check the cooking instructions for hot snacks. | If I’m serving guests a classic selection of savoury bites, I don’t want the table to have only sweet biscuits on it. For around 46% of consumers, savoury flavour matters most. |
| A sweet treat and portion sizes | Compare the number of portions and the grams per portion; for kano biscuits, check the filling too. | If I’m serving biscuits separately, I want to know how much I can serve without relying on the pack weight alone. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this sweet addition and how it’s portioned. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredients, allergen information and any ‘may contain’ statements on the current packaging. | If I need to cater for a specific food allergy or dietary requirement, the packaging must meet my needs before flavour can guide my choice. Around 18% of consumers put this check first. |
Kano biscuits and digestives are sweet biscuits. If your guests are expecting savoury snacks with their drinks, serving only biscuits will create a different kind of spread from the one you had in mind.
First decide whether you’re hosting drinks with savoury snacks, putting on a mixed spread or serving coffee and tea. If you like, serve biscuits separately as a sweet option.
Packs of a similar weight can contain different numbers of portions. Jumbo lists five 55 g portions in its 275 g pack of kano biscuits; Albert Heijn lists six 45 g portions in its 270 g pack of butter kano biscuits.
So check the pack size as well as the number of biscuits or portions and the stated portion size.
The Schär Digestive Landtaler reviewed is sold as gluten-free, but contains soya and, according to the product information, may contain lupin and egg.
For every guest, check the current packaging for all relevant ingredients and ‘may contain’ warnings, even when a product carries a specific dietary label.
These brands offer examples of kano biscuits or digestives that you can compare by product features; their inclusion here doesn’t indicate availability at Joybuy.
Jumbo has own-brand products in both biscuit categories: butter kano biscuits and several types of digestives.
Albert Heijn offers own-brand butter kano biscuits and digestive biscuits as sweet options.
Schär is relevant here for its Digestive Landtaler, which is specifically labelled gluten-free, rather than as a savoury snack for drinks.
These products are suited to a separate sweet biscuit break alongside or after savoury snacks. They’re not a replacement for the savoury options in a traditional selection of bites.
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A digestive biscuit for anyone looking to serve a sweet biscuit separately from the savoury snacks. The pack contains 400 g.
If you have an allergy, check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
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This milk chocolate variety is suited to a separate sweet biscuit break, rather than an entirely savoury selection of snacks. The pack contains 266 g.
If you have an allergy, check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
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This dark chocolate variety is an option for a separate sweet biscuit break. The pack contains 266 g; you’ll also need savoury snacks for a savoury selection to serve with drinks.
If you have an allergy, check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging.
Not if your guests are expecting a traditional selection of savoury bites. Kano biscuits are filled sweet biscuits; serve them separately for a sweet treat if you like.
Read the ingredients and allergen information on the current pack before serving. The Jumbo and Albert Heijn kano biscuits reviewed contain relevant allergens including wheat or gluten, milk, egg, soya and almond or other nuts; check for any ‘may contain’ statements too.
There is a variety specifically labelled gluten-free: the Schär Digestive Landtaler reviewed here. The standard Jumbo digestives reviewed contain wheat and gluten; with the Schär variety, also check the current packaging for other allergens.
Follow the storage instructions on your pack. Albert Heijn recommends keeping AH Digestive in a sealed tin after opening; also check the date on the pack.
